ALEX MARSHALL — Can America send a man to the moon? Check. Build a swift, stealthy bomber that can evade radar in pursuit of enemies? Check. Write creative software that will fish through billions of bytes and pull out relevant few facts? Check.
But can America routinely build light, airy bridges that cross streams or gorges beautifully and sturdily, like Germany? Build high speed train lines like France, or giant gates that shut out the sea, like Holland? Set up a universal tolling system that allows trucks to travel without using toll gates, like Switzerland?
So far, the answer is “No,” or at least, “Not yet.” It’s clear that this country now routinely lags behind Europe and Asia in the construction of advanced infrastructure systems. Americans like to think of their country as excelling in everything, but many of the nation’s roads, bridges and general infrastructure have a kind of crudity that is shocking for such an advanced and rich country. As we continue to think about rebuilding New Orleans, and why the levees there failed, all this is something to think about.
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